Hitch coupler



Sept 26,1950 G. M. JAVEY ETAL 2,523,500`

HITcH couPLER Filed May 15, 1948 :inventors @FORGE M @A VEY HAROLD HAMM/RE.

Gttomeg Patented Sept. 26, 1950 UN IfTEDf STATES PAT ENT OFFICE HITGH COUPLER George-M". Davey, Downey, and Harold Hauflaire,

Glendale', GalifL, assignors to Hadco Engineering Company, Huntington Park, Calif., al corporation. of California ApplicationMay 15, 1948, Serial No. 27,183

1- Claim. l-

This inventionl relates to couplersv for trailer hitches.

An. object of. the present inventionv is to pro*- vide a hitch couplerthat is positive in operation to engage. a hitchball. andis yet. readily uncoupled when. separation from the ballY is` desired.

Another. object of the invention is to provide, in a. hitch coupler, novel manuallyoperable means for efecting, quick and positive engagement with al hitch ball. and as quick uncoupling` therefrom.

Another object. ofthe invention is to provide ahitch coupler that.embodies novel spring-urged and, cam-or wedge-controlled latch means for' ef'- fecting the. mentioned quick. coupling or uricoupling of. the. coupler.

Our invention alsoV has: forA its objects; to provide such. means. thatv are positive in operation, convenient',Y in use,v easily installed'` in a working position andA easily disconnected therefrom,y economical. of` manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority andserviceabili'ty.

The 'invention` also comprises novel details. of construction. and` novel combinations and Aar:- rangements of. parts: which will more fully appear in` they course of the. following. description. However-the drawingsmerely show and the following description merely describes one. embodiment of the invention, which is given by way ofl illus'- tration or` example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similarA parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a. top plan view of a hitch coupler according to the present invention, the'. same being shown as mounted on a fragment of a, plate xedly carriedy by a vehicle, such. as: aY trailer.

Fig. 2' is a vertical sectional View thereof. as taken. on line 2 -2 of Fig..1.

Fig. 3 is. a similar view showing the4 coupler with the latch means retracted as when coupling or uncoupling the s-ame. j

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a coupler element employed in the present device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken plan sectional view as taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

The hitch coupler that is illustrated comprises, generally, the mentioned plate I0; the coupler element II rigidly fixed to the bottom of said plate and receptive of a hitch ball I2, the latter being mounted on a towing vehicle for the trailer or vehicle mounting the present hitch coupler; a latch I3 slidably mounted in coupler element II, a latch bar I4 operatively engaged with the latch for urging the same in a direction to operatively engage the hitch ball, handle means I5 connected to the latch bar and manually mov- 2, able to move the latter between projected and retracted positions; spring means I6' for projecting the latch bar asy controlled by the manualposition of the handle means I5; and means I'I for locking* the handle means I5' in the position the same assumes when the latch bar is projected to move the latch into ball-engaging position.

That fragment of plate I0* which is illustrated, is formed with a top wall I8 that isrounded over at the sides and* at the front to form integral side walls I9 and a partially spherical seat or cavity 20` formedV at the junction of said side walls. The under side of said plate is, thereby, hollow' and houses the couplerA element II, the latch I3, the lower portion of latch bar I4, and the springmeans I6.

The' coupler' element I I is formed with a socket part 21Ii that is designed; to t into seatA or cavity 20 and to be affixed theretov as by'suitable welds. Said element', from the socket part rearward,`1s formed with a slide-way' 22 dened between upper and lower walls 23 and 24, respectively.

The socket part 2| is so proportioned as to receive the hitch ball which is adapted to enter from beneath. Consequently, the sides 25 of' said socket part terminate above the center. How'- even: the frontend of said. partY is extended below the center to pro-vide a lip 26 that serves as one retaining' point for the b'all. In the pres'- ent; arrangement, the latch I3 that' engages ball I2 opposite to said lip, comprises the other ball retaining point.

The slideway 22 houses latch I3 and guides the same for movement' toward and from the hitch ball. The walls 23 and 24 are formed with upper and lower aligned, openings 2'I and 28, respectively for movement therethrough of latch bar I4'. In. order to guid-e'the latter, portions of walls 23` and 24 are; respectively upwardly and down'- wardly bent to form guide abutments 29 and 30, the Same bearing on said' latch bar tov maintain a substantially vertical disposition thereof in all positions. Said abutments, as will become apparent, receive rearward thrust of hitch ball I2 in use. The forward edge 3I of wall 24 is convexly curved to clear the hitch ball during its movement into and out of socket 2 I.

The latch I3 comprises a plate 32 that slidably :fits between walls 23 and 24. The forward edge 33 of said plate is doubly curved to be spherical and thereby form a continuation of the spherical curvature of socket 2|. Said edge is designed and positioned to engage the hitch ball below the center and cooperate with lip 26 to retain said ball in operative position. The oppo- 3 site end of plate 32 is formed with a, notch 34 and the transverse inner wall 35 of said notch is sloped or angled from the top rearwardly for cam wedging engagement with the latch bar.

The latch bar I4 is formed of preferably square stock and at its lower end is formed with a sloping face 36 that cooperates with wall 35 of the latch. It will be evident that upon projection of latch bar I4 downwardly, the latch I3 will be urged thereby into hitch ball-engaging position. Retraction of the latch bar will free the latch so that the same will slide rearwardly when the hitch ball is extracted from the socket. To obviate complete disassociation of the latch from the slideway, the former is provided with a pin 31 that is arranged to limit outward movement of said ledge by abutting against an edge of opening 28.

The handle means I5 is designed to effect the mentioned projection and retraction of the latch bar. The same comprises an elongated handle 38 which, at an intermediate point is connected by a pivot pin 39 to the latch bar. The rearward end of handle 38 is formed to have a channel cross section to provide spaced walls 40, the ends of which are rounded at 4I, remote from pin 39, for cam engagement with plate wall I8 on each side of an opening 42 provided in said wall for the latch bar. In the normal position of Fig. 2 the handle extends along plate wall I8 and said rounded ends 4I are disposed rearward of the pivot. In this position, the latch bar is projected as shown. Upon grasping a finger loop 43 provided on the forward end of the handle and swinging the same upwardly, the rounded ends 4I are brought to bear on plate wall I8 and as the swinging movement progresses, said rounded ends cam along said wall and cause a gradual raising of pin 39. When the position of Fig. 3 is achieved, the latch bar I4 will be retracted to free the latch I3 as hereinbefore indicated.

The spring means I6 cooperates in the above action, said means comprising a compression spring 44 around the latch bar and confined being aligned apertures 41 and mounted on plate wall I8 and an opening 48 in the handle. In the position of Fig. 2 which is the operative posi'- tion, said apertures 41 and opening 48 are aligned to receive the hasp of a padlock 49. Unless the padlock is removed, the herein-described hitch coupler will retain operative connection with the hitch ball.

While we have illustrated and described what We now regard as the preferred embodiment of our invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modications without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. We, therefore, do not wish t0 restrict ourselves to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail ourselves of all modications that may fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A hitch coupler comprising a hollow housing formed with a downwardly facing spherical cavity at the front end thereof, a coupler element having a socket for a hitch ball, said socket f1tting into said cavity and being fixedly connected therein, an integral rearward extension on said coupler element and comprising upper and lower walls constituting a slideway, each wall and said housing, rearward of the cavity, having an opening therethrough and said openings being vertically aligned, a, latch bar extending through said three openings and thereby guided for vertical movement, said latch bar having a sloping face on the side thereof directed toward the socket of the coupler element, a latch in said slideway and having a sloping'face operatively engaged with the sloping face of the latch bar and having a spherically curved forward end face that forms a continuation of the mentioned socket, an abutment on the latch bar between its sloping face and the end thereof that extends through the opening in the housing, a compression spring between said abutment and said housing and normally projecting the latch bolt to urge the spherical face of the latch into firm engagement with a hitch ball residing in said socket, and a manually swingable handle pivot/ ally connected at an intermediate point thereof to the mentioned extending end of the latch bar, said handle thereby having a lateral rearward extension engageable with the housing and having sliding contact therewith to constitute a sliding fulcrum, when the handle is swung, to elevate the latch bar, compress said spring, and withdraw the sloping face of said latch bar from engagement with the sloping face of the latch.

GEORGE M. DAVEY. HAROLD HAUFLAIRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,170,980 Thorp et al Aug. 29, 1939 2,204,882 Berluti June 18, 1940 2,237,031 Gilmore Apr. 1, 1941 2,377,368 Polstra June 5, 1945 Certicate of Correction Patent No. 2,523,500 September 26, 1950 GEORGE M. DAVEY ET AL. It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

In the grant, line 3, address of assignee, for Hunting Park, California read Huntington Park, Oaltjorn'la;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case 1n the Patent Oice.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of December, A. D. 1950.

[SEAL] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

